2006 season, i predict asafa will completely destroy everything ever 100m and down. the world champs will look something like 2005s, except asafa will be a tenth in front of everyone else instead of gatlin. gatlin and asafa remind me of ben and lewis. gatlin, like lewis, has no real shot at asafa, like ben, yet pretends he does.
I tend to agree - and I believe Asafa already ran faster than Gatlin ever will.
But I still don’t know if Asafa will come back faster than last year. An injury can break an athlete, add the disappointments of failing evry time it mattered - well who can look into another man’s mind…
And Gatlin (if he really believes what he says) thinks his on top of the world right now.
Saw him clebrate and jump like never before when Asafa dropped out injuried? It was not celebrating his victory - it was the knowledge: Now my way to victory is free for this season!
To stay with comparing the two with Ben & Carl: I can imagine Carl would celebrate like that if Ben broke his leg right in front of his eyes leading him by 0.1 secs.
But I’m really curious what the guys plan for coming Indoor season - will Asafa take the risk of injury early in the year?
Could our French agent (pierrejean) tell us what to expect from Pognon? 
Hmm… I think everyone is too quick to write off Gatlin.
Let’s not forget that last year, in his first Olympics, Gatlin ran the second fastest time in Olympic history - with a less than perfect finish.
9.85 after four rounds isn’t anything to be sneezed at, and we can only assume that his speed is still developing at the tender age of 23.
This next season I’m looking for big things from Gatlin, Asafa, and Shawn Crawford. They will all run very well, but right now, Asafa is president and CEO of the 100m world–Gatlin, Crawford, and all the rest are his employees. That’s not to say Gatlin should be dismissed, because, he has had some excellent performances and he may improve still, but there is just something about Asafa that is scary. Maybe it’s the way he seemingly “jogs” his way to sub-10 finishes? I would not be surprised to see Powell lower the record to 9.75 (or lower?).
Also, keep a watchful eye on Leonard Scott, the young, powerful, up and coming sprinter out of Tennessee. Let’s see how it all shakes out…
This is a perfect example of people hopping on the bandwagon. When Asafa choked in Athens, everyone piled on him and Gatlin was The Man. Now that Asafa has the WR, the Olympic Champion is dismissed and everyone is all about Asafa. Just like everyone became an instant Green Bay fan when they started winning, and have moved on now that they’re not. :rolleyes:
Justin Gatlin is the main man, olympic champ, world champ, double 100m and 200m. He won the fastest the race of alltime athens 2004.
I think too many people, think this is a two man race. Look at Shawn Crawford, this mna is powerfull and is not complete. I think he is the most complete sprinter 100m/200m.
Also Leonard Scotts exsplosiveness has impressed me this year, when he puts a complete 100m togther.
Call the police!
i didnt know who asafa or gatlin were in 2004. i was rooting for greene. i think the opposite is actually true in this case, people are all over gatlin when asafa is clearly the better sprinter.
9.85 isnt a joke, but i think gatlin ran his perfect race there. as for his victories, athens was his only one against significant competition. people talk about asafa choking, but as champ gatlin hasnt really shown much in my opinion. hes been winning out of default. hes good, but the guys that are up there with him have been sitting out injured.
as for the others, theyre good, but i think asafa and gatlin will be on top until they get old or retire. i expect great things from leonard, though not so much from crawford. hes going to be 28 next year i think. crawford has/had great potential that might never be fully realized. however, crawford will likely still do massive damage in the 200.
i don’t think asafas head will prevent him from running faster. for one, he knows he never failed when it counted in 2005. every time he ‘failed’ it was because of his groin injury which people tend to forget happened before his first meeting with gatlin. besides, when you can literally jog under 10, i think its hard to lose. though if his injury does not heal correctly or enough, its hard to say what will happen.
i dont know if asafa will run indoors for 2006, but if he does, i expect the 60 WR to fall. id rather greene kept a record, but i dont see it happening.
He has run faster times (for one season at least). We will know about better when he shows up in a major competition.
9.85 isnt a joke, but i think gatlin ran his perfect race there. as for his victories, athens was his only one against significant competition. people talk about asafa choking, but as champ gatlin hasnt really shown much in my opinion. hes been winning out of default. hes good, but the guys that are up there with him have been sitting out injured.
Gatlin was 2-0 vs. Asafa last year. Injury or not, they were victories. Asafa is yet to beat him period. I think the 100m was weak last year when Asafa got hurt and weak depth wise in general, but I think Gatlin still showed his work very clearly with his record over the season defeating all of the best.
as for the others, theyre good, but i think asafa and gatlin will be on top until they get old or retire. i expect great things from leonard, though not so much from crawford. hes going to be 28 next year i think. crawford has/had great potential that might never be fully realized. however, crawford will likely still do massive damage in the 200.
If Leonard would learn to relax…
What about J-Mee Samuels? Call me crazy, but in 2 years I expect to be hearing his name when we talk about great sprinters. He is going to be in a good program and has incredible talent and work ethic. His times speak volumes of what he has accomplished.
i don’t think asafas head will prevent him from running faster. for one, he knows he never failed when it counted in 2005. every time he ‘failed’ it was because of his groin injury which people tend to forget happened before his first meeting with gatlin. besides, when you can literally jog under 10, i think its hard to lose. though if his injury does not heal correctly or enough, its hard to say what will happen.
What is his coach doing in training about the groin injury? There was a post about it before. Your thoughts are similar to mine and I am curious if he will have changes in the program post injury.
i dont know if asafa will run indoors for 2006, but if he does, i expect the 60 WR to fall. id rather greene kept a record, but i dont see it happening.
60m record falling… eh…
A few years ago I thought the same about Shawn, but now I tend to believe he will never be complete rather regularly injured…
He might surprise us this or next season!
Looking at it from at a distance yes. But the race when they came in dead even when Asafa jogged the last 20m and Gatlin gave his very best (look at his face) and it was given to Gatlin it was more than a victory for Asafa - it was humiliation for Gatlin.
I never saw somebody so frustrated since Carl was beaten by Ben in Seoul…
I’d say: Asafa ran WR (9.77) - Gatlin did’nt and can’t - period.
But Asafa strenght is not the 60 - look at his races: he simply accelerates longer, obviously to a higher top speed. At 50m there is nothing unusual, but at 70 - wow - look how he leaves everybody behind. So I would’nt expect something special from him over 60.
I agree…Gatlin won only because he was dipijg on the finish line… the way Asafa was running was shocking: as he wasn’t caring of the race…
umm strong point or not hes still splitting under 6.39 in the 60. i think he can and most likely will break the record if he runs the race.
J-mee hasn’t run under 10 yet, so well see what happens with him. a lot of prodigies end up with less than stellar senior careers.
Asafa did not jog the last 20m. Did you see the race? He may have slowed down the last couple steps (then again, that could be debateable). Regardless, he didn’t win. If he didn’t win, he didn’t win. While we all know BJ could have gone faster than 9.79, nobody says he did because he didn’t–just as Asafa did not win the race.
His race was not on WR pace until his speed endurance was factored in.
Asafa
RT 0.15
10m 1.89
20m 2.91
30m 3.83
40m 4.69
50m 5.54
60m 6.39
70m 7.23
80m 8.07
90m 8.92
100m 9.77
numbers stick in my head man. though i guess i stand corrected that he didnt split UNDER 6.39.
I meant for the 100m. Also, running sub 6.4 outdoor is not the same as running it indoor (or else the record would not be called the indoor 60m WR and would be a different time), as I assume you know. Look at past 100m performances. His 6.39 does not stick out from the other sub 9.8’s.
Wow, those splits are just stone-cold crazy!! It should be against the law to run that fast…and I believe he’ll do it again.
Oh. Just like all the other sub 9.8s. Nothing special then.
of the 4 sub 8s its the second slowest. without reaction time its second fastest. i know they arent the same, but i would suggest that a 6.39 this year would pave the way for a sub 6.39 indoor next year.
Ok,if we have to use only the times and the facts then:
1-- Gatlin beat Asafa two times,so he is mentally stronger
2–Asafa 9"77 Gatlin 9"84 , so Asafa is faster.THAT’S ALL!!
If we like to speak because we have a brain,wich i think is the rigth way, we can say interesting things and do assumptions and forcasts for the future.
For example is true that Gatlin won the race only because he was dipping.
Is true that Asafa was running 9"84 ,9"85 e 9"77 in a quite short time ,(with the 9"85 in the cold and under the rain).
So based ont this things i suppose he is more talented and has more opportunities to be the winning in the future.He has only to grow from a mental point of view.
Everything is IMHO.